Keep small amount of ralf red before the red birds especially during the moult. It will help the growth of their pulmage and the new plumage will be deep red and lustrous. In addition to the above feed samll amounts of fresh greens of all kinds. The greater variety greens the greater is the potential for success. Wild Greens are the best. Dandelion, chickweed, also watercress, escarole, chicory, kale and spinach and fruits such as apples and pears. Ralf Red may be supplied to the birds slightly moist with water. Be careful, all moist food sours quickly especially during the warm and muggy months.

Tips on Cage Feeding

Red birds in the wild state have access to many types of carotenoids from fruits and vegetation, as well as vitamins and minerals. For example, the Virginia Red Crested Cardianl druing the summer moult feeds on many varieties of berries, such as mountain ash berries, hawthorne berries, blueberries, mulberries, etc. These nutrients available in nature are rich in red caratenoids, the birds by eating them, convert the carotenoid into canthaxanthin. Their biological system transmits these pigments through their feathers and retains their natural red coloring.